In baseball, a hitter has a fraction of a second to decide whether the pitch will be a ball or a strike and to decide whether to swing at the pitch. Thus, hitters rely on rapid decision-making processes that track the trajectory and speed of the ball with sufficient accuracy to predict its location when it crosses the plate and decide on an appropriate motor response. Due to the different speeds and trajectories that pitches can follow, it can be difficult for batters to guess a pitch and maintain accuracy. One element of the rapid decision making process is determining what type of pitch is thrown, e.g., a fastball, curveball, or a slider, because the type of pitch constrains the potential trajectories of the ball.
There have been certain attempts to examine the pitch classification process using behavioral/psychological markers. For instance, eye movements before and after pitches have been used to identify visual search strategies employed by expert vs. novice players. Certain findings show that experts focused their visual (spatial) attention closer to the estimated release point of the pitch, when compared to novices, suggesting that earlier trajectory tracking can be crucial for batting performance. Furthermore, the middle third of a pitch's trajectory can be the most predictive of whether subjects made contact with a pitched softball.
In “Perceptual Decision Making for Baseball Pitch Recognition: Using P300 Latency and Amplitude to Index Attentional Processing,” Radlo et al. used EEG data to examine the perceptual and attentional processes associated with the effects of administering a cost-benefit precuing paradigm to intermediate and advance-level baseball batters. However, that study used a single raw data item—P300—to investigate perceptual decision making.